Fire-escape.



No. 772,056. PATENTED 001?. 11, 1904. w. RAGSDALE.

FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29, 1904.

NO MODEL 2 SHEEN-SHEET -1.

x 6A1 7K6 Raysdaie PATENTBD OCT. 11, 1904.

W. G. RAGSDALE.

FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29. 1904.

N0 MODEL.

2 sums-sum: 2.

gm W6. flaysda/e UNITED STATES Patented October 11, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 772,056, dated October 11, 1904.

Application filed April 29, 1904. Serial No- 2051523. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WIL IAM G. RAesDALE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jamestown, in the county of Guilford and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire- Escapes, of which the following is a specification. 7

My invention relates to that class of fireescapes in which a rope, chain, or tape is wound upon a spool carried by a shaft provided with means for retarding its rotation,

so that a person supported thereby will be prevented from descending too rapidly as the rope, chain, or tape unwinds.

The object of my invention is to provide a fire-escape of this class which while simple and compact in construction will be perfectly safe and act automatically to permit the gradual descent of persons of diiferent weights. 7

In carrying out my invention I provide a horizontal shaft which is supported in a suitable frame that may be attached to a windowsill, the wall or ceiling of a building, or to any other suitable support. connect a spool upon which is Wound a rope, chain, or tape, preferably a tape, of suificient strength to support a person of maximum.

weight. The shaft carries a brake-wheel encircled by a brake-strap that is connected with a sleeve adapted to slide longitudinally on the shaft and which is connected by strips of spring metal with a hub attached to the brakewheel. The metal strips carry centrifugal balls, and the arrangement is such that as the speed of rotation of the spool increases the balls will fly laterally out from the shaft'and cause the brake to be applied.

The shaft may carry a single spool, or it may carry two or more spools. When it carries more than one spool, instead of directly connecting each spool to the shaft I preferably provide each spool with one or more pawls adapted to engage suitable ratchetwheels rigidly secured to the shaft, and each of the spools is in such case provided with a wiper or friction-brake device which will prevent the spool from turning except when positively actuated.

The shaft may be turned to wind the tapes To this shaft I on the spools by means of a crank-handle or in any other suitable way. r

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a front elevation of my improved fire- 6 shows a transverse section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a detail view of part of the mechanism for connecting the governor with the brake-strap. Fig. 8 shows the manner of rigidly connecting a spool to the main shaft.

The supporting-frame A is provided with two end pieces A, which are in Fig. 1 shown as depending from a horizontal portion of the frame and will hereinafter be called hangers.

The main shaft B is arranged horizontally and has bearings in detachable bushings b in the hangers A. This shaft is shown in Figs. 1, 2, and I as carrying two spools C, which are loose on the shaft, but are held against endwise movement thereon by means of ratchet-wheels D D D which are rigidly attached to the shaft. Each spool C carries two spring-pawls E, engaging the ratchet-wheels D D D in the manner indicated in Fig. 3, and each spool is engaged by a wiper or frictionbrakedevice F, attached to the main frame,

which prevents the spools from rotating eX- cept when positively actuated. On each spool C is wound a tape Z. I preferably use tapes, but consider as equivalents, broadly stated, cords, ropes, chains, and the like. To the opposite end of the shaftB is rigidly attached a spur-wheel G of large diameter, which meshes with a. pinion H of small diameter formed on a spur-wheel I of large diameter. This spur-wheel and pinion. are free to revolve about a stud-shaft H, secured to a bracket J, projecting from one of the hangers A. The spur-wheel I meshes with a pinion K of small diameter formed on a brake-wheel L of large diameter loose on the shaft B.

Rigidly connected with the brake-wheel is ahub M, to which are attached strips of spring metal N, carrying centrifugal balls N and attached at their opposite ends to the flange O of a long sleeve P, loose on the shaft B. One end of the sleeve P is screw-threaded to receive a nut Q, between the flange of which and the flange O of the sleeve P is interposed a ring R, Lshaped in cross-section and which is held in place by the nut which forces it against the side of the flange O. Surrounding this ring is another ring S, from which project arms S, the outer ends of which carry rods 8, extending through guide-openings in depending rods T, attached to the main frame A. These guide-rods prevent the ring S from turmng about the shaft B, but permit it to move endwise relatively thereto. The arms S extend through the bifurcated ends of arms U, projecting from a rock-shaft V, mounted in bearings formed in supports WV, attached to the main frame A. From this rock-shaft projects another arm, '0, connected by a pitman V with one arfn, w, of a bell-crank lever W, pivoted to a support V projecting from the frame A, and having its other arm, 20, connected with one end of a brake-strap X, surrounding the brake-wheel L and attached to a support Y, depending from the frame A.

The preferred manner of connecting the strips of spring metal N to the flange O and the hub M is indicated; but this may be done in various ways. Preferably recesses are formed in the peripheries of the hub and flange, and the ends of the strips are placed therein and secured by screws m. Pieces of metal are then made to fill the recesses over the screws, and then the peripheries of the hub and flange are surrounded by bands m. The strips N may be connected with the governor-balls in any suitable way. Preferably these balls have secured to them wire loops N encircling the shaft B and arranged to prevent the balls from moving laterally outward to too great an extent.

In Fig. 8 I have shown a spool attached directly to the shaft B, as such a connection may be made when only one spool is employed.

In the operation of the mechanism shown particularly in Figs. 1, 2, and 4, assuming that the tapes are wound on both spools the pawls E will all be in engagement with the ratchet-wheels, and the descent of the tapes is prevented until weight is applied to them. A person in descending by this fire-escape will take hold of one of the tapes or in some suitable way connect himself to it, and his weight will cause the spool to revolve, and the spool being connected to the shaft by pawls and ratchet-wheels will cause the shaft to revolve at the same speed as the spool. This will set in motion the train of gearing at the opposite end of the shaft and will produce a rapid rotation of the brake-wheel and the parts connected therewith. The gearing and the adjustments are such as to cause the spool to unwind the tape ata medium speed. Should this speed increase to too great an extent, the centrifugal balls will fly out and will through the mechanism before described cause the brake-strap to be applied to the brake-wheel, and thus retard the rotation of the shaft and spool. The gearing, separately considered, tends to reduce the speed of rotation of the spool, and this tendency to reduce the speed is augmented by the brake-strap when it is applied.

It will be observed that by the mechanism shown when only one tape is in use the unused spool is held against rotation, because as the shaft B revolves the ratchet-wheels of the unused spool move past the pawls E easily and the wipers or friction-brakes F hold the spool steady; but both tapes may be used at the same time, if desired.

A crank may be applied to the shaft B at B to wind up the tapes after they have been unwound.

The mechanism is very compact, and most of the parts are carried on a single shaft. The spool, governor, and brake-wheel are all on this shaft, and the only additional shaft used is the short shaft H, which supports one of the-gear-wheels. The governor-balls are carried by strips of spring metal, which are also arranged lengthwise of and surrounding the shaft, which further adds to the compactness of the mechanism.

The mechanism as shown has proved to be most efficient; but the details of construction may be varied without departing from the novel features of my invention.

What I claim is a 1. A fire-escape comprising a shaft, a spool thereon, a train of gearing connected with the shaft and driven thereby, a brake-wheel on said shaft driven by said train of gears, a brake-strap encircling the brake-wheel, and a centrifugal governor surrounding the shaft driven thereby and operating the brake-strap.

2. A fire-escape comprising a shaft, a spool thereon, a train of gearing connected with the shaft and driven thereby, a centrifugal governor surrounding the shaft and driven by said train of gears at an increased speed, and brake mechanism carried by said shaft and controlled and operated by said governor.

3. A fire-escape comprising a shaft, a spool thereon, a train of gears connected with the shaft and driven thereby, a brake-wheel on "the shaft driven at an increased speed by said gearing, a brake-strap encircling the brakewheel, a sleeve mounted to slide on the shaft, connections between the sleeve and the brakestrap, metal strips connecting the brake-wheel and sliding sleeve, and centrifugal balls carried by said metal strips.

4. A fire-escape comprising a shaft, a spool thereon, a brake-wheel, a sleeve mounted to slide on the shaft, centrifugal balls for causing said sleeve to slide on the shaft, a ring held against rotation and connected to slide with the sleeve, a rock-shaft connected with said ring, a brake-strap encircling the brakewheel, and connections between said rockshaft and the brake-strap.

5. A fire-escape, comprising a shaft, a s 001 thereon, a brake-wheel loosely mounte on the shaft, a sleeve mounted to slide on the shaft, arms projecting laterally therefrom, a rock-shaft connected with said arms, a brakestrap applied to the brake-wheel, connections between the brake-strap and the rock-shaft, and gearing between the spool-shaft and the brake-wheel.

6. A fire-escape comprising a shaft, a spool thereon, a brake-wheel, a sleeve mounted to slide on the shaft, a ring mounted to slide with the sleeve, arms projecting therefrom, means for preventing the arms from rotating, a rock-shaft having arms engaging the arms projecting from the ring, a brake-strap applied to the brake-wheel, and connections between the rock-shaft and the brake-strap.

7 A fire-escape comprising a shaft, a plurality of spools thereon, pawl-and-ratchet mechanism connecting the spools with the shaft, a train of gearing driven by the shaft, a centrifugal governor carried by said shaft and driven by said train of gears at an increased speed, and brake mechanism supported on the shaft under the control of said governor.

In testimony whereofI have hereunto subscribed my name.

WILLIAM Gr. RAGSDALE. Witnesses:

HY. F. SHAFFUR, THEo. HASHIR. 

